5-Freedom of The Human Person

FREEDOM OF
HUMAN
PERSON
“To be free is a
part of humanity’s
authenticity”
WILL?
Will (philosophy), generally, is the faculty of the

mind that selects, at the moment of decision, a desire
among the various desires present; it itself does not
refer to any particular desire, but rather to the
mechanism responsible for choosing from among
one's desires.
Freedom?
The power or right to act,

speak, or think as one wants
without hindrance or restraint.
Defining Freedom of choice and it’s limits
The ability to exercise one’s freedom in

any manner is called freedom of
choice. By law, all human beings are
entitled to make decisions for
themselves in whatever way they
choose to.
All actions have consequences
Aristotle
“The power of volition”
Aristotle asserts that the natural impulses and urges of man,

his needs and his selfishness serve as a basis of ethics,
politics and any practical activity, in and through which man
manifests his absolute self-moving entelechial Volition.
For Aristotle, a human being is rational, reason is a divine

characteristics, humans have the spark of divine. Our will is an
instrument of free choice.
“Love is freedom”
St. Thomas Aquinas
Of all creatures of God, human beings
have the unique power to change
themselves and the things around them
for the better. He also consider the
human being as a moral agent.
Through our spirituality, we have a

conscience weather we choose to be
good or evil becomes our responsibility.
Aquinas gives a fourfold
classification of law: the
eternal law, natural law,
human law, and divine
law.
Natural law
Ethical sense, applies only to human

beings. The first principle and percept of
the natural law is that good is to be
sought after and evil avoided.
Eternal law
The eternal law, the supreme

reason, is the decree of God
governs all creation. Natural law is
the human “participation” in the
eternal law and is discovered by
reason.
Divine law
The norms contained in the word of

the holy scripture (bible) as revealed
as Divine law.
They may spell out obligations of

natural law in order to clarify them
Human law
Contains regulation promulgated

by legitimate human authority.
Constitutions.
Theory of Social
Contract
According to Hobbes, a law of nature is a general

rule, found out by reason, by which a person is
forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life,
or takes away the means of preserving his life, and
required to do that which he believes best preserves
his life.
The first law of nature states that given our desire to get
out of the state of nature, and thereby preserves our
lives, hobbes concludes that we should seek peace.
The reasonableness of seeking peace immediately

suggest a second law of nature.
The third law of nature is that human beings perform

their covenants are in vain and but empty words; and the
right of all human beings to all remaining, we are still in
the condition of war.
“Law is the fountain of
justice”
All actions has consequences?
-all our actions (spoken and physical) have

consequences. Some are good or positive and
some are bad or negative
-consequences are a result or an effect
-it is important to try to behave in a way that
has positive consequences.
Prudence
This is an act of making judgment

to allows a person to avoid risks.
It is important to be prudent at all
times to prevent any harm that a
decisions may cause.
There are two types of freedom;
1. Circumstantial freedom –
this is the liberty to accomplish
an action without interference
from obstacles.
2. Metaphysical freedom –
this is the power to choose
among genuine alternatives.
Principle of Alternate Possibilities
This states that an action is free

only if the agent – that is, the
person doing a thing – could have
done otherwise.
Moral responsibility
The status of morally deserving praise,

blame, reward, or punishment for an act
or omission performed or neglected in
accordance with one's moral obligations
. Deciding what (if anything) counts as
"morally obligatory" is a principal
concern of ethics.
VIEWS ON FREEDOM AND
MORAL RESPONSIBILITY
1.Libertarianism
2.Hard Determinism
3.Compatibilism
LIBERTARIANISM
-This is the belief that human

actions are freely chosen
-We do have metaphysical freedom;
we are morally responsible
Hard Determinism
-The belief that all events are caused by past

events such that nothing other than what does
occur could occur.
- The theory that human behaviour and actions

are wholly determined by external factors, and
therefore humans do not have genuine free will
or ethical accountability.
Compatibilism
-This is the belief that free will and

determinism are mutually
compatible and that it is possible to
believe in both without being
logically inconsistent.

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FREEDOM OF

Will (philosophy), generally, is the faculty of the

The power or right to act,

The ability to exercise one’s freedom in

Aristotle asserts that the natural impulses and urges of man,

For Aristotle, a human being is rational, reason is a divine

Through our spirituality, we have a

Ethical sense, applies only to human

The eternal law, the supreme

The norms contained in the word of

They may spell out obligations of

Contains regulation promulgated

According to Hobbes, a law of nature is a general

The reasonableness of seeking peace immediately

The third law of nature is that human beings perform

-all our actions (spoken and physical) have

This is an act of making judgment

This states that an action is free

The status of morally deserving praise,

-This is the belief that human

-The belief that all events are caused by past

- The theory that human behaviour and actions

-This is the belief that free will and

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